1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote control apparatus for remotely controlling the shutter of a camera.
2. Description of Related Art
A known remote controller for a shutter of a camera is basically comprised of a signal emitter (light emitter) and a signal receiver (light receiver) for emitting and receiving infrared rays (remote release signal light), respectively. The light receiver, which is provided on the camera body, is functionally connected to an electromagnetic shutter to actuate the shutter in response to the signal light (infrared rays) emitted by the light emitter and received by the light receiver. The light receiver of the remote controller is usually mounted to a hot shoe provided on the camera body so as to enable changing of the direction of the light receiving surface thereof in accordance with the expected position (direction) of an operator who carries the light emitter. Consequently, in the known remote controller, as mentioned above, it is not expected that the operator, carrying signal emitter, will be an object of the picture. Accordingly, upon taking a picture of the operator, it is impossible to confirm that the operator will be within the picture plane. In particular, in the case of a camera having a variable focal length of a photographing lens, such as a zoom lens camera or a two-focal length camera, etc., the variation of the angle of view corresponding to the change in the focal length makes confirmation more difficult. Furthermore, the releasing operation of the shutter of the presence of the operator in the picture area is not limited to the condition in which the operator is in focus. This is due to the fact that there is no means to detect whether or not the operator is within the object distance measuring zone when the picture is taken.
In addition to the foregoing, in a known camera having a remote controller, as mentioned above, it is either necessary to provide a plurality of light receiving portions, having light receiving surfaces facing in different directions, on the camera body, or to make the direction of the light receiving portion variable, in order to make use of the remote control in multiple directions possible. However, the provision of a plurality of light receivers or a mechanism for varying the direction of the light receiver results in complicated construction, increased manufacturing cost and limitations in freedom of camera design.